The Powis Castle - A Hardy Perennial or Evergreen Shrub

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The Powis Castle or Wormwood is a unique perennial or evergreen shrub. There are different varieties of this plant family. I love to use this specie in different garden settings. The specimen is especially attractive in a rock garden, full herbal landscape, or with a group of solid color evergreen plants. The Astemisia variety is one of the most popular. This variety was first made public in Whales at a Horticulture show. Mr. J Hancock in 1972 gave a cutting. This became a parent cross and is now known as an ornamental shrub. The Astemisia has a gorgeous silver gray tone and the soft needle like leaves can make this plant a focal point in a landscape area. The Astemisia can only be grown through cultivation. This is a great specimen to use in a theme colored garden.







The blue color tones accents pine straw, mulch, or decorative rocks. The Astemisia can mature from two to four feet high and three to six feet wide. It has a shape of a mound and should be pruned in the spring and not the fall season. This variety of the Powis Castle will do well in zones six through nine. The Asteraceae variety grows well in zones five through nine. It is a smaller version and will grow two to three feet high and one to two feet wide. It likes well drained soil but should to be watered on a regular basis. This is also a great plant to put with variegated shrubs such as a Mop Cypress or a Ruby Chinese Pizazz.(Lorpetalum) It can be used as a border or in mass planting.

Tom and I have traveled to different places in the Caribbean. On one of our trips in Mexico at a resort, along the beach area was a mass planting of the Arboresecen Powis Castle. This was the first time in the tropics that I have seen this variety. Besides the Caribbean, the Aeboresecen grows native in the Mediterranean region, as well as Europe and Asia. I was in awe how the beautiful mass planting accented all the other tropical plants. In the year 2005, I tried a little experiment with the Powis Castle in our clay base soil. I decided to see how this plant specimen would do under some large established trees with very little sunlight.

As you can see from the photo above the two plants didn't mature well in full shade. This picture was taken over the in the summer of 2007, and this is proof that this plant variety needs full sun to partial shade.

Any of these varieties are hardy and will give you a wonderful look to accent a perennial or annual flower bed. There are so many other species that compliment this plant. Browse through the gallery of plants section, and see if you can find any trees, shrubs, flowers, or herbs that will work with this plant specimen. The Powis Castle is a wonderful perennial or evergreen shrub to consider in any of your future gardens or landscape.